When it gets dark, create light!
Marking the start of Winter, Solstice is a truly captivating time.
The winter season, with its darkness and colder temperatures, is naturally a time of slowing down; it invites us to be more introspective and restful.
Bear-types like me call this, "hibernating."
It is also a time for dreaming inspiration; to spark desires and intentions for the year to come. To think about how we want to be.
And things are about to change!
Winter Solstice (generally December 22) is the day of the year that has the least amount of daylight and the most darkness. It is a turning point in The Wheel Of The Year. Each day that follows, the length of daytime gradually increases for the next six months. Before we know it, we'll be back in the heat of summer, with all of its activity and adventure.
But let's not jump ahead to summer just yet. There is still plenty of wonder to explore right here and right now!
Stonehenge at Winter Solstice 2018 (Photo Science Museum Group UK)
The Winter Solstice Is Intriguing!
It is simultaneously a time of balance and change. It is when death and rebirth collide; when endings re-emerge as beginnings.
It is a potent time; full of potential!
We can look to the wisdom of yoga to help us harness this potential further.
Sun Salutations can activate potential.
In yoga, the Sun Salutations are an activating, repetitive flow practice. They get the blood moving, the life-force revving, and give spark to seeds of intention. They help to focus and direct the energy that gets things going.
At the start of each season, yogis everywhere recognize this time of change and see it as an opportunity to set Sankalpa -- a mantra of intention to bring about a positive change in your life -- and immerse in Sun Salutations practice.
A Sankalpa gives focus to the coming season. The Sun Salutations practice energizes this focus to sustain it into fruition.
It is the thrust of life!
I have been exploring the relationship between the seasons and yogic practice for over a decade. As a result, I have noticed cycles in my life. I have made connections to larger themes. And I have utilized the intent and focus that I’ve gained from yoga practice to bring about personal growth. All of these aspects go into my Yoga & The Wheel Of The Year workshop series. Eight times a year — at the start of each of the four seasons and at the midpoint within each season — we approach the period with curiosity, reverence and joy. We honor it with a practice that helps us connect with nature’s rhythms — and our own.